Retort



March 27, 1928.

F. L. HOYT RETORT Filed Dec. 27. 1926 Patented Mar. 27, 1928,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED I. EOYT, 01 DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES S.

, SEDAN, BR., AND ONE-THIRD TO JOHN 8. KING, BOTH 01' DENVER, COLORADO- Application filed December 27, 1928. Serial No. 157,278.

My invention relates to retorts for the extraction of volatile matter from hydrocarbonaceous materials and it is an object of the invention to provide a retort particularly ada ted to extract oils from shales by dry disti lation at low temperature.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a retort of the above described character, a novel mechanism for the agita- 1e tion and division of the material while it is being propelled from one end of the retort to the other and still other objects reside in details of construction and a novel arrangement of parts as have been shown in the accompanying drawings and will hereinafter be more fully described.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of a furnace in which the retort as is included,

Figure 2, a transverse section taken on the line 22 Figure'l,

Figure 3, a perspective view of one of the members of the propelling and agitating element of the invention, on which the disks included in said element, are supported,

Figure 4, a fragmentary perspective view of one of thesections of the helical shafts on whichthe disks are mounted,

Figures 5 and 6, perspective views of the ends of corresponding shaft-sections, opposite to the seats of the supporting member, in which they are disposed,

Figure 7, an enlarged end-view of the so supportin member, showing the shaft-sections in p ace in the seats, and

Figure 8, an enlarged partially sectional elevation of two of the disks in their operative position on the respective shaft.

The furnace consists of a walled structure 5 divided by a horizontal partition 6 into a combustion chamber 7 and a retort chamber 8. A suitable heating element 7 a preferably of the oil or gas burning type is installed in the combustion chamber, and the dividing wall has a pluralit of transverse passages 10 for the escape o heated air to the retort chamber. The retort proper consists of a metal 0 linder 12 closed at its ends by heads 13 whic are bolted to flanges of the cylinder. The heads have tubular gudgeons 14 for the support of the cylinder in o enin s 15 of the end walls of the furnace The gudgeons fit snugly in the openings 15 so as to prevent the escape of gases and they are provlded at their ends outside the furnace wlth screw threaded caps 16 for the application of paclnngs around the shaft of the rotary agitatmg and propelling element hereinafter to be described.

A conduit 17 extending through the top of the surface into the retort at one end thereof, connects with a su ply of material which is fed mto the retort in re ulated quantities, a conduit 18 extending ownwardly from the retort at the opposite end of the same serves for the disc arge of the residue of the vaporization process, and a flue 19 of larger proportions, in the upper ortion of the retortsubstantially intermedlate of its ends, provides an outlet for the vapors, into which the volatile constituents of the material are converted by the heat of the furnace.

The outlet 19 is connected with a suitable condenser, not shown in the drawings as not being part of the present invention, in which the vapors are changed to the liquid state by a cooling process.

The propelling and agitating element hereinbefore referred to comprises a hollow shaft 20 extending axially of the cylindrical retort through the hollow gudgeons at the ends thereof, the packings confined by the screw caps 16 preventin the escape of vapors around the shaft. ounted on the shaft inside the retort are a plurality of radiating arms 21 preferably formed in pairs on hubs 22 which are fastened around the shaft by set-screws 23 as best shown in Figure 3.

The arms have at their ends, two grooves 24 which provide seats for sectional helical shafts 25 upon which the agitating and propelling members of the element are supported. The sections of which the helical shafts are composed overlap one another in the seats of the supporting arms as shown in Figure 7 and t ey are fastened against longitudinal displacement by cotter pins 26 inserted in openings at one of their ends.

It will be understood that the shaft sections are free to move laterally in their seats on the supporting arms, which is an important feature of the construction since it causes the agitating members on the shafts to constantly move toward the circumferential surface of the retort and thereby engage the materialv for division and separation of its particles.

The agitating and propelling members consist of concave-convex disks 27 havin integral hubs 28 by which they are mounts on the helical shafts in spaced relation to each other as is clearly shown in Figure 8. The disks are mounted so that their concave surfaces face the discharge end of the retort and they are sufficiently loose on their shafts to permit of their independent rotation.

In the operation of the furnace the shaft is rotated by power applied at one of its ends through the medium of a sprocket wheel 29. The material is fed into the retort through the conduit 17 and the rotary motion of the shaft 20 causes the disks to impel the material toward the discharge end of the retort in a substantially spiral motion. While the material is thus being propelled it is continuously cut and rolled by the disks into the vapor space of the retort and thereby caused to progress in a divided condition.

Sprocket wheels 9 and 9 on the shaft 20 are intended to synchronously operate a rotary feed valve and a rotary discharge valve connected with the inlet conduit 17 and the outlet conduit 18 respectively. By this means a uniform feed and discharge will be obtained for the retort. No claim is made as to these valves, as they have not been shown. Any well-known type may be used.

The rotary motion of the disks combined with the outward movement of the shafts on which they are mounted comminute and divide the particles of the material and thereby aid in subjecting them separately and repeatedly to the influence of the heat arising around the retort from the combustion chamber of the furnace. These actions taken together with the continuous agitation of the material, effect the thorough vaporization of its volatile constituents in the minimum of time and at low temperatures.

The vapors pass through the flue 19 to the condenser and the residue of the materialis discharged through the outlet conduit 18 at the end of the retort opposite to that at which the feed enters the same.

An additional advantage of the agitating element is that the mass in the retort is constantly separated and kept in motion where in contact with cylinder which prevents emulsification and carbonization on the cylinder wall.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus ofthe character described, a cylindrical retort having a feed-opening,

a residue-discharge opening and a va oroutlet, and a rotary agitating and impel ing element including a helical shaft extending lengthwise of the retort, and spaced rotary disks on the shaft. v

2. In apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical retorthaving a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening, and a va oroutlet, and a rotary agitating and impel ing element including a helical shaft extending lengthwise of the retort, and spaced rotary concaved disks on the shaft.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical retort having a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening and a va routlet, and a rotary agitating and impel in element including a helical support exten ing lengthwise-of the retort, and agitatlng and impelling members on the support the support having a free movement radially re ative to the axis of rotation of the element in the operation of the machine.

4. In apparatus of thecharacter described, a cylindrical retort having a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening and a va routlet, and a rotary agitating and impe ing element including a helical shaft extending lengthwise of the retort and rotary impelling members on the shaft, the shaft having a free movement radially relative to the axis of rotation of the element in the operation of the machine.

5. In apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical retort having a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening and a vaporoutlet, and a rotary agitating and impellin element including a helical series of space rotary disks, extending lengthwise of th retort.

6. In apparatus of the character described, a cylindrical retort having a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening and a va oroutlet, and a rotary agitating and impel ing element including a laterally movable helical series of spaced rotary disks, extending lengthwise of the retort.

7. A retort of the character described comprising a cylinder havin a feed-opening, a residue-discharge openin and a vapor-outlet, a rotary shaft exten 'ng through the cylinder, radial arms on the shaft, a helical shaft supported .on' the arms, and spaced rotary disks on the helical shafts.

8. A retort of the character described comprising a cylinder having a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening and a vapor-outlet, a rotary shaft extending through the cylinder, radial arms on the shaft, a helical shaft supported for lateral movement in the arms, and spaced rotary disks on the helical shafts.

9. A retort of the character described comprising a cylinder having a feed-opening, a residue-discharge opening and a vaper-outlet, a rotaryshaft extending through the cylinder, radial arms on the shaft, 9. vapor-outlet, and a rotary agitating and sectional helical shaft supported on the impelling element in theretort, including :1. arms, and spaced rotary disks on the helical helical support, and spaced rotary impellmg 10 shafts.- members on the support.

10. In apparatus of the character de- In testimony whereof I have afiixed my scribed, a cylindrical retort having a feedsignature. opening, a residue-discharge opening and a FRED L. HOYT. 

